Wicked Layers
by IndigoToby
Summary: A war waging in the background, a chosen one with too much resting on his shoulders, and a Slytherin with a bad reputation. That doesn't stop them from breaking ranks for the chance of a better future together. Semi-Dark Harry. HP/DG pairing
1. A New Year

_**Hello everyone, welcome to the beginning of my *almost* new story. I've actually attempted a fanfiction like this story before, but I didn't like the way I had it going, and felt like I needed a fresh start. This is just the prologue, it's much shorter than the rest of the chapters will hopefully be. I don't have a schedule as of now, I'm really just writing when I can. However, I do actually plan on finishing this one**_

_**Back in the day, I read a lot of fanfics involving Daphne, and I understand there is a general consensus among some of the bigger stories on her appearance, but I do not remember it, so I'm just gonna write her how I picture her**_

_**There may be slight Dumbledore and Weasley bashing, and I do mean slight. This story will be a Daphne/Harry story**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter obviously (I forget to say it a lot because it's quite obvious imo)**_

_**In the future, my A/N's will be much shorter, but I wanted to ask a question. Do you like the internal dialogue (Thoughts) or would y'all prefer less?**_

_**Edit: I went through during some spare time and spruced this chapter up a bit, and I've decided to call it Chapter 1 and the current Chapter 1 is now Chapter **__**2.**_

**Edit (3/8/19): The reason I have taken longer to update is I decided to revise this chapter (Plus homework and exams, but I prefer not to focus on them). It's kind of been haunting me and I feel I can do a bit better. Reviews, follows, and favorites are HUGELY appreciated :) A lot of people say this, but the more of a response I get the more motivation I'll have and the more time I'll dedicate to this story over other projects and things I have going on. The next chapter will come out in the next few days hopefully**_**  
**_

A train whistle blared, the station was pure chaos. Parents were busy hugging their children, while students of all ages were rushing onto a train to get the best seats. However, among all of the chaos, a single student stood out. A girl was taking her time to get on the train. If her parents had been there to send her off, they'd already left. Watching her calmy stroll through the ravenous crowd was interesting for anyone watching. In her mind, it didn't matter where she sat, she'd still be with her friends and the train only made one stop. In fact, she wasn't even looking forward to going back after all the drama last year, normally people like her thrive in situations like this, but the stakes were much higher than she'd ever experienced.

A group of students, who obviously disagreed with her sentiments, rushed past her, not caring about any collateral damage their impatient urges might cause. No one seemed to notice as they knocked her cart over getting on the train. Had they been paying attention, one of them might have commented about seeing flames in her violet eyes. _More faces on my list this year,_ she thought angrily, crouching to pick up her cart. Across the station, one person noticed her through the sea of people. He felt driven to go help her, and he almost dropped his cart to go, but suddenly she glanced up, her violet connecting with his. "Harry, it's time to go," Ron said tugging on Harry's sleeve, snapping Harry back to reality.

"Alright!" Harry huffed out, yanking his sleeve out of Ron's hand. Giving Ron only the quickest of looks, Harry glanced back up to look at Daphne one last time, but she had vanished behind the crowd. Harry could feel the anger inside of him simmering, but he held on because he had too. He couldn't afford to lose control and make even more people hate him. A curious expression crossed Ron's face. Harry hardly ever lost his temper like that, and what was he looking at? Ron followed Harry's line of sight, but he didn't see anything unusual. _I guess a dark lord being after you will do that_, Ron thought, shrugging off the incident. Ron nudged Harry gently, tossing his head in a silent gesture telling Harry they needed to go, before taking off towards the train. Harry grabbed his cart and followed Ron, but believe it or not, just like the Slytherin that caught him staring, Harry wasn't looking forward to going back to Hogwarts. Hogwarts used to be Harry's escape, but now it felt like he was walking into a prison. All because the Dark Lord couldn't leave Harry the fuck alone.

_Another year, another threat of death,_ he thought cynically as he pushed his way through the crowd, attempting to keep pace with his impatient friend. _If Ron isn't careful, one day he may push past the wrong person._ Harry doubted Daphne was the type to turn the other cheek. To Harry, it seemed like Ron was racing towards the crowds, but Harry had no idea why. It wasn't like their friends were just going to give their seats away.

Ron and Harry made their way through the train, searching for their friends. Harry felt like he should be excited to see his friends, but right now he really just wanted to take a nap. It was one of the few things he felt like doing recently. As they navigated the train, he was actively trying to avoid the glares and looks of pity from those in the hallway, Harry caught a glimpse of Daphne in one of the cabins. He only looked in there, checking for his friends, but before he shifted his gaze, she looked up directly into his eyes, almost as if she had known Harry was there. Her eyebrows arched, as if curious about why the Boy Who Lived might be staring at her. Harry dropped his gaze. _Shit, she caught me staring at her._ He began to worry a bit, that's twice they'd made eye contact, and he really didn't need another antagonistic Slytherin on his case this year. "Harry! Up here" Ron shouted, gesturing for Harry to come to him. Ron had found their friends while Harry and Daphne were making eye contact. Harry hurried towards Ron, hoping Daphne was the only person who noticed their exchange. "Hey guys," Harry said sliding into the cabin, trying to act as normal as he possibly could.

"Harry! How have you been?" Hermione asked with a hug, pretending for Harry's sake she didn't notice his charade. Neville and Ginny nodded greetings but sat in the corner busily chatting about their summers. Harry made out something about gardens in their chatting.

"As good as it can be with the Dursleys." Harry smiled, he'd still take a dark lord over the Dursleys any day.

"What were you distracted by in the hallway?" Ron asked. Harry panicked a little, _What do I say?_ He thought worriedly. It's not like he could tell one of the biggest Slytherin haters in the school he was staring at Daphne Greengrass.

"Nothing, I just zoned out," he said as nonchalantly as he possibly could. _I hope that placates him._

"I do that all the time!" Ron said excitedly, carrying on as Ron does. However, Hermione had her doubting expression on. She obviously wasn't buying Harry's story, but he hoped she thought it had something to do with the sociopathic dark lord after him. _I'll worry about that later, _Harry thought. His friends started catching up on their summers, but Harry sat unusually quiet. _This Voldemort problem does have its benefits, _he thought with a cynical chuckle, noticing his friends weren't pressuring him to join in. He was just happy to have squeezed his way out of explaining he was distracted by Daphne Greengrass, the most unforgiving Slytherin in the school. There was a rumor she kept a list of students to mess with throughout the year. However, for some reason, he could not get her eyes out of his head. They were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen, he regretted not noticing them earlier.

* * *

It felt like hours had passed by and Harry was only minimally participating in the conversations with his friends. At some point, however, Hermione decided she wasn't going to Harry sulk all the way to Hogwarts without her interference. _Anything to help him, _she thought to herself, as she faced Harry, turning her back to the rest of her friends. She just looked at him for a while, trying to formulate the correct sentence to start a conversation he might actually participate in.

"So, did you get to see Padf..." she began, but trailed off when he didn't even turn towards her. Steadying her nerves as well as she could, she began again, this time laying a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Did you get to see Padfoot before we left for Hogwarts?" Harry sighed internally, _Hermione may love to read books, but she definitely can't read me._

"Uhh, no, not this time. Dumbledore left me at the Dursley's in the muggle world, the only time I left was to go get my supplies." Hermione was baffled, she had expected the opposite, and was hoping happy memories would cause Harry to cheer up.

"Did you read any good books?" She raised her arms halfway up, giving Harry a half smile. She'd really sucked this conversation up. _If only I still had a time turner_, she joked in her head. Harry let out a small chuckle, but she knew that this wasn't a happy chuckle, more of a "leave me alone Hermione" chuckle. She move her hand off his shoulder and down, gently setting it on his hand. Harry understood she was only being pushy because she cared, but the truth is: He didn't want to talk to her. He **had** to do this on his own, it was his job. It had always been his job, ever since Voldemort decided to cast the first killing curse.

"Hermione, I just want to sleep the rest of the way, okay?"

"But we still have hours? How will you sleep tonight?" She looked concerned as she asked.

Harry just gave a smirk, as if enjoying an inside joke he had with himself. "Don't worry Hermione, I think I'll manage." He pulled his hand out from under her's and turned his head back away from her, resting it in a nook between the wall and the seats. Signalling that Harry was done talking to Hermione, whether she liked it or not.


	2. New Acquaintances

_**Accio-Cavy, thanks for the review. I'll go through after uploading this one and fix the formatting for thoughts to just be italics. I didn't even think about readability. I'm going to try to keep her from seeming too forced, but no promises XD  
**_

_**It just occurred to me I probably should point out this takes place during their 5th year, OotP, but will not be following that storyline**_

_**I'm writing this first to give myself a goal, I'm going for about 1600 words minimum for this chapter. I know some people don't like long author's notes, but I'm not generally going to them in the total word count :D**_

_**Word Goal: 1600**_

_**Word Count: 1607**_

_**This ^^ is for my benefit, it helps me keep my goals in line**_

_**Edit **__**_**(3/8/19): Like Chapter 1, I plan on revising and adding to every chapter up to, but not including, chapter four, corresponding with the release of a new chapter  
**_**_

Harry was stuck, he could feel the lump in his throat growing. He was back in the cemetery, pinned by the statue. Voldemort was nowhere to be seen, but Harry could feel he was close by. He frantically searched for a way to escape, but the more he moved the more pressure the statue put on him with its arm. _"Harryyyy..." _a whisper echoed throughout the cemetery, making the hairs on Harry's neck stand up. All the while, the statue's arm continued to constrict. It was getting hard to breathe, his vision was becoming a tunnel.

"Harry!" Ron yelled while violently shaking him. "It's time to change into our robes." Harry woke with a gasp, quickly looking around to check to see where he was. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville all looked at him worryingly.

"Bad dream," he said with a half smile as he started gathering his robes. They all knew what they meant, but before they could press him for information, Harry grabbed his robes and darted out of the cabin. He loved his friends, but right now he did not feel like sharing. Like everyone else, they expected him to vanquish Voldemort, but he didn't feel strong enough. In the end, he felt he was going to let everyone down. Harry rushed through the train for a bit, before ducking into a cabin to change in. He shut the door, sinking into the seat. _I'm still glad I'm not stuck with the Dursleys all year._

* * *

The train pulled into Hogsmeade station, and Harry was not sure how he was going to face his friends and make them understand they can't force him to share. It felt easier to just not acknowledge his problem in front of his friends, but he knew they wouldn't drop it easily, Hermione especially. He followed the crowd of students off the train, looking for his friends so he could avoid them for now, hoping this incident might blow over. "Potter" a female voice called out with an undertone of hostility. He timidly glanced over his shoulder to see Daphne making her way towards him. Behind her was a posse of Slytherins, running interference.

"Hey Daphne," he said steeling his voice, he'd faced Voldemort so he could definitely control his fear of another 5th year.

"I think it's time we got to know each other a bit better." She responded matter-of-factly, leaving no room for Harry to attempt to back out. She grabbed Harry's sleeve and led him towards one of the carriages. Harry felt it was better if he didn't resist, not necessarily because he thought Daphne could beat him in a duel, but because the smaller the scene, the fewer people would notice him in a carriage with the de-facto Slytherin queen. The last thing he needed this year was a turf war between the Gryffindors and Slytherins. "Hop in," Daphne said gesturing to an empty carriage, her group who had been keeping students away from this carriage now were next to them, "Don't worry Potter, we won't bite." Doing as she said, Harry and the rest of them piled into the carriage.

"Soooo...," Harry started, patting his leg awkwardly, "any of y'all see any interesting Quidditch matches this summer?" Blaise, one of Daphne's entourage, chuckled. He was immediately silenced by a side glance from Daphne.

"What?" he said, "It was funny..." Daphne didn't look amused about his response.

"Potter, I'm not here to join in on your rivalry with that bleach blonde git. In fact, I think we can be friends, in a certain capacity this year." Daphne said, a small smile reaching her face.

"Really? Because y'all are seeming very mafia right now." Harry pointed out, gesturing to Daphne's group. That elicited a laugh from Daphne._ Even her laugh is memorable._

"These are my friends, not my gang. I'd like you to meet Blaise and Millicent." She gestured to her friends, who both gave small waves. "We're not too fond of Malfoy right now, and I have a feeling he may try to _'militarize'_ the Slytherins this year, with the news about you-know-who." Blaise and Millicient nodded with agreement, though they were unusually quiet, letting Daphne explain the situation on her own.

"And why did you need to shove me into a carriage?"

"Because I'm clever. Draco can't know I'm dealing with you, and I think he may try to pull something big this year that's going to damage the reputation of every Slytherin." The castle was coming into view, and it was only a matter of time before it was time for them to depart. "We're not Death Eaters, and we sure as hell don't want another war." She added for reassurance as the carriage came to a stop. _Haven't even made it to the castle, and I'm already caught up in this year's adventure**,**_ he internally groaned as he followed them out of the carriage. _Another year, another painstaking annoyance_, was his final thought as he set off for the Great Hall.

* * *

he Great Hall was more chaotic than usual, and it felt like the student body was split on their opinion of Harry. Some glared, mad that he claimed Voldemort was back or mad he made it out of the graveyard alive. Either way, Harry wanted nothing to do with the internal Hogwarts' politics. "Harry, over here!" Ron shouted from across the Great Hall, drawing more attention to Harry. _Damn it, Ron, always with the shouting. _Regardless, Harry still made his way towards Ron, he was famished. He had slept through the snack trolly on the train. "Why'd ya ru..." Ron began before Hermione elbowed him in the ribs.

"Where did you go, Harry?" She asked, dancing around Ron's original question. The inflection in her voice implying an apology for Ron.

"I needed to use the restroom." He spouted, wondering why he'd never gotten better at lying. It was obvious they already knew why he'd ran. He gave Hermione a small smile, trying to impress on her that he was okay.

"Whatever Harry," Hermione said, disappointment heavily showed in her voice.

"Later, Hermione, please." Was all Harry responded with, knowing it'd make her happier. It hurt a bit knowing she didn't understand why he didn't want to talk about Voldemort. Between Ron and Hermione, she'd always been the more understanding of the two. Hermione was about to respond, but Professor Dumbledore began his speech before she could.

"As I'm sure you're all aware. Last year Cedric Diggory was killed by Lord Voldemort." He paused for the student body to acclimate to his name. _Please don't mention me in your speech Dumbledore, _Harry thought. Dumbledore continued, "Your fellow student Harry, faced Voldemort to bring Cedric's body home. It is now we must remember our lessons on unity in these dangerous times. On a less somber note, tuck in." Food appeared throughout the Great Hall, and everyone broke out in loud conversations about whether Harry was telling the truth or not. Harry wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that half the people didn't believe him, or that Dumbledore was intentionally bringing more attention to him.

* * *

The feast went by uneventful after the speech, most people lost interest in Harry once they noticed the amount of food in front of them, and Hermione even managed to hold all her questions until they were back in the common room. However, as soon as they walked into the Gryffindor common room, Hermione began the interrogation. "Spill Harry." She commanded, pulling him into a corner. _What is with people leading me around like I'm a dog today? _Harry wondered, as he let her lead him for simplicity sake. Ron hadn't followed them, instead headed straight up into the dormitory. He really had a one track mind.

"Alright Hermione, I ran because I do not want to talk about Voldemort. I don't want to talk about the person I'm supposed to have some grand final battle with. I just want a normal goddamn year." The words just seemed to flow out of his mouth, all his pent up frustration refused to be dammed up as he had it. Hermione was silent, a tear glistened in one of her eyes. "Look, Hermione, I know you mean well, and that rant was unfair of me." Harry immediately backtracked, he felt terrible for pouring that on her, no matter how true it might be.

"No Harry, it's okay. I deserved that. I'm sorry I've been so pushy about this." She apologized with a small sniffle. "I'm gonna head to bed now."

"Hermione, wait..." He called, but she was already gone. _Damn it,_ he thought headed to the boy's dormitory. Despite everything that had happened tonight, he was happy his first night back was finally done. _It can only go uphill from here_.


	3. Making Plans

_**NM Magpie: Thanks for the review!  
**_

_**Guest: Thanks, I'm assuming you're also the one who left a review on the older story?**_

_**I know this might come off a bit Hermione bashy, but she is one of my favorite characters from the book, and I promise that won't last long. I just want to keep her true to how I always viewed her character, caring and very curious.**_

_**I feel like I need to add that Harry is unaware of the OotP, he never went to 12 Grimmauld place. In fact, I'm not currently sure how I'm going to introduce them. I have the story separated into acts and Act 1 is the only one I have planned out currently.  
**_

_**Word Goal: 2100**_

_**Word Count: 2110**_

_**_**Edit **__**_**(3/8/19): Like Chapter 1, I plan on revising and adding to every chapter up to, but not including, chapter four, corresponding with the release of a new chapter**_**_**_

Several days had passed since Harry had arrived at Hogwarts, and Harry was sprawled out across his bed, face down in his pillow. A muffled voice shouted, "Harry, wake up!" Harry rolled out of his bed, grabbing his glasses, barely moving his feet under him in time to stop himself from rolling onto the floor. "Harry, we're going to be late!" Ron nearly shouted as he was throwing his robes on.

"What time even is it, Ron?" Harry asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. _I couldn't have slept in that that late, _Harry thought to himself. The dorm was empty, save a handful of occupied beds. People who Harry was currently envying.

"7:30."

"7:30? Ron, we don't have class for 2 hours." Harry let himself fall back onto his bed with a groan. His bed felt more comfortable than it had in a while and he could feel himself drifting back to sleep. However, Ron began talking, snapping Harry awake.

"I know, we're going to be late for breakfast." Ron's voice was emanating hunger to the point it was making Harry feel hungry. Harry looked at Ron expecting to see a smile or a hint of joking on his face, but all Harry saw was concern. An idea crept its way through Harry's brain, a way to kill two birds with one stone. An outlet for his frustration and a skill that will help him beat Voldemort. Harry Potter was going to begin learning more advanced magic in his spare time so that when the time comes, he will be able to kill the dark lord known as Lord Voldemort.

"Ron, I'm fine. I mean it, you go ahead, I'll catch up with you later." Harry added a comforter smile at the end of his sentence, knowing Ron would eat that up.

"Alright, Bud!" Ron said dashing out of the room, feeling he had done his part checking on his best friend. Hermione wouldn't be happy he caved so easily, but Harry seemed fine and he would almost swear he could smell the food from here. Harry walked over to his wardrobe to grab some clean robes. Checking the time, he planned to give himself time to visit the library for some study material before heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. This year was going to be different, he refused to let his knowledge be less than whatever was going to be thrown at him. For the first time in a while, Harry was beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. He knew he couldn't learn as much as Voldemort knew before the war started, but he definitely could learn enough to run circles around people like Malfoy. _I better hurry if I plan on getting everything done, _Harry thought to himself, throwing his robes on as fast as possible. He doubted he'd even try to get breakfast, but it was best to at least include it in his plan.

* * *

On his way to the library, a thought occurred to Harry. There was no way he was going to be able to get too much-advanced material from the library without drawing the attention of Dumbledore. He was going to have to think of another way once he gets through the material he thought wouldn't raise any red flags in the library. Harry was too engrossed in his thoughts about his situation that he didn't hear the group of people walking up behind him. "Well, if it isn't Potter on his way to...study?" A confused, snide voice behind Harry remarked._ Fucking Malfoy, _Harry let out an audible groan.

"What do you want?" He asked venomously, turning around to face the wannabe Death Eater.

"You to slip on a Cruciatus Curse for starters." The blonde git responded, behind him, Crabbe and Goyle snickered. People like Malfoy were another great example of why he needed to learn more advanced magic. One day they'd be standing opposite one another on a field of battle, and Harry almost couldn't wait. Images flashed through Harry's head of Draco 'slipping' on Harry's Cruciatus Curse. Harry flinched a little internally, that was way darker than he was currently comfortable with, yet the images felt oddly satisfying.

Mustering up all the hate he could find within himself, Harry glared at Draco. "One day Draco, you're going to be on the wrong end of my wand, and we'll see how tough you are then." The color in Draco's face drained a little bit, and both Crabbe and Goyle took a step back. Trying to save face, Draco forced a chuckle out and walked off. As soon as Draco had disappeared down the corridor, Daphne Greengrass walked out of an empty classroom. "Well done Potter, I'm impressed." She grinned, she could almost feel the hate radiating off of Harry. "One day, if you learn to focus and control that hate, you'll be more than a match for the Dark Lord."

Almost immediately upon seeing Daphne, Harry began to calm down. "Is that a compliment from the Slytherin queen herself?" He responded playfully, giving a small bow.

"Careful, I said one day. Right now you're no match for Neville." Harry raised up out of his bow, feigning insult. He was quite enjoying this playful banter. If anything, he'd almost agree to help her just to continue it.

"Of course, your highness." _I'm laying this on a bit too thick, _he thought to himself, the awkwardness of the situation finally catching up with him. Daphne chuckled at Harry's obvious embarrassment.

"Try again when you're ready to commit." She added, acknowledging his awkwardness. Daphne began to turn around to walk away, leaving the conversation on a more playful note. While she'd certainly never let Harry know, she also enjoyed their banter.

"Wait!" Harry called. "I wasn't sure before, but if it means sticking it to Malfoy, I'm willing to help with your power struggle." Daphne faced Harry, surprised by the determination on his face. "Just let me know what you need me to do."

She gave what Harry thought might be the first genuine smile she's had in his company. "Meet me tonight inside the abandoned classroom on the 3rd floor near Charms. And make sure no one follows you, I'll lose immediately if the Slytherins find out I'm working with you." Several students were talking and headed down the hall towards the library. Daphne didn't give Harry a second glance before she went in the opposite direction, cutting off their conversation.

"Harry, did you really miss breakfast to visit the library?" Hermione called out from down the hall. She ran towards him, living Ron and a few other Gryffindors behind.

"Umm, yeah. I was trying to get ahead, but Mafloy started talking to me before I got to the library." Harry explained what had happened, leaving out his encounter with Daphne.

"I know I say this a lot, but I think Draco is up to something. He seemed way more confident than normal."

"It could just be that you-know-who is back" Neville added, to which Hermione and Ginny nodded. "A lot of the Slytherins have been talking about it." _Of course, they had,_ Harry cursed inwardly. _I really need to change the subject, or I'm going to let something slip about Daphne._

"Either way, it's not a good thing. We probably should be getting to class." The group agreed, giving Harry the excuse he needed to get out of the conversation. What a strange year this is turning out to be, he never thought he'd be lying to his friends like this. He took off walking towards their next class, waiting for the conversation his friends had started to progress a little before he jumped in.

* * *

H arry sat uninterested through herbology, his mind drifting towards his encounter with Daphne earlier in the day. She'd practically challenged him before leaving, and he's never been one to back down from a challenge. He was going to out Slytherin the Slytherin, but first, he needed to come up with a plan to impress her at their meeting tonight. He refused to be a common foot soldier, instead ,he planned on contributing to the downfall of Draco in more ways than doing what Daphne told him to do. During the class, Hermione noticed Harry's lack of attention. He'd never been a great student, but he at least tried most of the time. She felt he was hiding something, maybe about his scar. Either way, she planned on finding out. She didn't feel right letting him try to bear the weight of a second wizarding war alone.

By the time Herbology had ended, Harry had the beginnings of a rudimentary plan, one that would hopefully help him in his competition with Daphne. Of course she never outright called it a competition, but Harry felt it was heavily implied once you began looking between the lines. He felt himself looking forward to sharing his idea with Daphne, but until then he had a few hours before his next class and he really needed to get to the library. _Hopefully this time Draco won't be stalking me. _Harry didnt' feel like explaining everything to his friends right now, so when he thought they weren't paying attention, he snuck away. Hermione had watched him leave out of the corner of her eye while carrying on a conversation with Ginny. It was too early for her to be overly worried, but she filed her concern away for another time. For now, she'd wait until he came to her. _  
_

Harry was weaving his way through the crowds of students in the hallway, in an attempt to make it to the library as quickly as he possibly could. He needed as much time as possible to look through the available books to plan a schedule. It wasn't going to be easy to do all his extra practice on top of his preexisting schoolwork. Not to mention the OWLs at the end of the year, his promise to help Daphne with Draco, or the war brewing outside of the castle walls. He could hear conversations throughout the hallway about OWLs and the war. He was also hearing a lot of people talking about him, and for the first time since the end of the tournament last year, most of the conversations seemed at the very least neutral.

Once he was in the library, Harry pulled out a quill and paper and began furiously searching the library for books that wouldn't draw undue attention from Dumbledore, but held helpful knowledge he needed to know. Harry's stomach began to growl long after Harry had gotten to the library. _Damn, I missed_ _lunch. _For the first time in a long time, Harry spent hours searching the library for books, and by the time it was time for him to go, he had filled a sheet of parchment of with promising books. The only thing he had left to do was find a space to practice in, somewhere he wouldn't be bothered. Harry checked the time and realized that unless he left now he probably would miss his next class, and considering it was Potions, he really needed to be there. If he skipped, Professor Snape would have a field day taking points away from Gryffindor.

Harry began making his way towards the dungeon, but before he made it there he saw Draco and his goons intimidating a 5th year Slytherin. Harry couldn't make out everything, but he could have sworn he heard something about Daphne, but he didn't have time to wait around to see the conversation finish. The class would be starting at any minute. _Definitely, something to bring up to Daphne later, _he thought rushing passed Draco before he could say anything about Harry. He didn't have time to deal with Malfoy's lip right now.


	4. An Unexpected Turn

_**I've decided to throw this chapter up like an hour after I updated the first chapter, partially because I had a lot of sugar and caffeine so I could finish some homework, and I'm not tired. I took this time to finish revising the first chapter and work on this one. I've got an announcement about the story: from here on out, I'm not going to release a chapter under 2k words.**_

_**I'm also planning a one-shot, though I'm not going to give away the idea for it just yet.**_

_**Thank you all of those who've read, reviewed, followed, and favorited. I really write this in my spare time, and the more of a response I get, the more time I'll dedicate to this story :)**_

_**Reviews are always super appreciated, I'm no writer XD**_

* * *

Potions class had felt especially long and drawn out. Harry felt like Professor Snape had repeated every other sentence, and Harry could only think of his meeting with Daphne. He wondered who all would be there, he hoped Daphne would be alone. The more people that were there, the more awkward Harry would feel. "Harry, you alive in there?" Hermione asked, ruffling Harry's hair. "You're lucky it seems Snape has given up on you." Referring to Harry's lack of attention throughout the lesson.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, pulling his head away from her with a small smile. They walked out of the class with each together, this time Harry didn't walk away from her. Ron had noticed their chatting and had mumbled something about food before wandering off, pulling Neville with him, against some minor protests.

"Did you happen to read that book over the summer?" Hermione casually let her arm brush against Harry.

"I gave it a try, and I quite enjoyed too. Until Dudley 'borrowed' it." Harry struggled to hold back a laugh at the look of horror on Hermione's face.

"What a...," she paused, struggling to find the words to describe how she felt. "a...fucking prat." Harry began to outright laugh at the looked of anger on her face. As Harry was pulling himself together, he found his eyes lingering on Hermione. Harry wasn't thinking of tomorrow, or the war, but only of his friends. For the first time in a while, he felt the spark that had originally made their friendship so great in the beginning.

"It's okay Hermione, really," Harry added, putting his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into an awkward side hug. Hermione turned her head to hide her face from Harry, she didn't want him to catch her blushing. Especially after what had happened between the two last year. Memories that had previously been buried by thoughts of the impending war came flashing in Hermione's mind. Harry sensed the change in her disposition and looked just in time to see the flashes of red in her cheeks. He really wasn't trying to give Hermione the wrong idea, they'd always worked better as friends. He casually pulled his arm out from behind her, carrying on the conversation as if nothing happened. The smile on his face had faded, but for Hermione's sake, he forced a smile to stay on his face.

"Do you want to meet in the common room later tonight to practice Defense against the Dark Arts?" Hermione asked in an attempt to keep the conversation moving.

"Probably not Hermione, I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed right now." He had added the last part, hoping Hermione would see it as a peace offering, but in reality, he mainly wanted to get away with his lie. Hermione stopped and pulled him into an empty classroom.

"Harry, look if you need to talk, then..."

"Hermione, I'm trying to meet you halfway. I know you're here if I want to talk, and thank you for that, but I'm not ready." Hermione just nodded, a sad look in her eyes as she met his gaze. The more emotional Harry, the Harry she'd spent so much time with last year wasn't the one looking back at her. Hermione pushed past Harry and made her way out of the classroom, Harry was just watching her leave, something caught his eye, a small shimmer across the hall. He knew immediately he had to pretend he didn't see it. Whoever was under the charm must think they weren't seen. He made his way deeper into the classroom, plopping into one of the chairs, throwing his best sad look on his face. He was going to get the drop on whoever was following him.

* * *

Daphne, who had been following them using a disillusionment charm, watched them closely. She couldn't have Potter spilling the secret, especially to that nosey Hermione. She had watched Harry put his arm around Hermione. _Not sure we have time for this distraction Harry. _But when she pulled his arm back, she immediately noticed the change in Harry's demeanor. _What a mood-killing move, Potter_ a smile creeping onto her face. She hated admitting it to herself, but even though she initially only followed Harry to make sure he didn't spill his secrets to Hermione, but she felt a bit of jealousy after seeing Harry put his arm around Hermione.

Daphne had been standing outside the door listening when Hermione had stormed off. _I guess the rumors that Harry is no Casanova are_ true. She couldn't help but allow a smile climb to her face. She had been distracted by enjoying Hermione getting shut down, that she didn't notice Harry looking directly at her. She allowed herself to step into the classroom, heading directly for a shadowed area in a corner. Harry, who had anticipated the person would follow him in, sat still his head leaning on one of the desks. But his hand had pulled his wand out of his pocket, and with a wave of his wand slammed the door shut. "Colloportus" he followed, locking the door. "I know you're in here, you might as well drop the spell." Silence followed for several minutes, and Daphne felt like she was holding her breath the entire time, she couldn't believe she let herself get stuck in this situation. _Please just let it be Harry,_ she heard herself thinking. "Fine, have it your way. Revelio."

"Shit," Daphne said from the corner of the room. She stepped out of the shadows, flicking her wand to light the candles in the room. She had a half-cocked smile across her face.

"Should've known, I guess," Harry ventured, cutting through the awkward silence that was reverberating through the room.

"Potter, I just had to mak..."

"No no, I understand Daphne. I do." He interrupted, a neutral expression on his face.

"Well great!" Daphne let out an audible sigh.

"Yeah," he said, a smile growing "I'm sure seeing my arm around Hermione made you jealous." Daphne let out a playful gasp, realizing she'd been fooled. _By Potter of all people._

"Obviously, I thought about hexing her, but you're a much easier target." She drew her wand, a devious look played across her face. At first, Harry took a step back, but then he matched her face.

"I've faced a dark lord, do you think I'm scared of you?" Harry playfully warned, drawing his wand.

"Flipendo," Daphne said, the spell flying through the air towards Harry, but he fell out of his chair, letting it pass above him.

"Aren't we supposed the bow?" Daphne opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a spell flying straight towards her.

"Protego!" She shouted, but it was too late. Her wand went flying out of her hand.

"Accio wand." Harry called. "Well, that was a quick match." He bowed sarcastically. Daphne just stared at Harry silently, impressed that he wasn't the pure embodiment of a Gryffindor, but pissed she'd lost to the bloody Boy-Who-Lived.

"Rematch, Potter."

"I'd love too, but are you sure you can take another embarrassing loss?" He waved her wand in the air as he asked her. Daphne glared, the playful look on her face was gone.

"Give me my wand back, and I'll show you embarrassing." He tossed her wand back to her.

"Rain check? I really need to knock out some homework if I'm going to make it to our meeting tonight." Her face softened a little.

"Like they're going to expel their savior." A smile returning to her face. _I'll just talk him into a duel tonight._

"I'm no one's savior, most of the people in this castle think I murdered Cedric to win the tournament. I fight to survive." Daphne was shocked by how offended he sounded. The Harry she had been talking to hardly seemed like the type. Daphne had no idea how to handle the situation, she had no idea what it was like to have almost the entire country hate you for trying to live.

"That's... that's not what I meant." She added, trying to help somehow.

"I know. Look, I've got to go, I'll see you later tonight." He didn't look back as he left the classroom. _Damn it Daphne, way to go, _she thought to herself.

* * *

Harry couldn't believe himself. _I blew up in front of the one person who has been treating me like a normal person._ He felt like he ruined any potential friendship or normality that could exist between him and Daphne. This was the exact reason he'd been trying so hard to keep himself under control. He didn't realize it immediately, but if Daphne meant him any harm, then he had really screwed up. That encounter had given her something he hadn't even told the people who were supposed to be his closest friends. Harry made a beeline for the library. _Maybe I'll be able to drown myself with books. _Along the way, Harry was forced to dodge a group of girls who all wanted to be the boy-who-lived's shoulder to cry on. Everyone either wanted to be the person who he shattered too, or didn't care if he shattered at all. In fact, he was growing to like the people who didn't care more.

At the library, Harry spent awhile reviewing his list from earlier when a book title caught his eye. "Occlumency for Beginners" he whispered to himself, and suddenly he felt like he'd solved one of the biggest problems in his life. It was time Harry started learning Occlumency, if only for him to use to control his stupid emotions. He rushed towards the shelf containing the book, the faster he checked it out and got out of the library, the more time he'd have to practice before his meeting with Daphne. Not to mention he'd have an excuse to ignore Hermione. She would never interrupt him if she knew he was studying an actual skill. Harry was in and out of the libarary, now all he had to do was find an empty classroom. He walked without any destination in mind, and decided he'd just go spend the hours in the room he was supposed to meet Daphne in. That way he didn't make himself look incompetent by missing their meeting, for some reason he didn't want her especially to think less of him. _What's wrong with you Harry? _He asked himself, but honestly he was excited that he felt that competitive spark he'd been missing, and he refused to allow his outburst from earlier to ruin that.

Almost as soon as Harry made it to the room, he had the book out opened to Chapter 1: Learning to Clear Your Mind. He was disappointed when he saw the first chapter was only two pages and told him to meditate for at least a hour a day for a week before proceeding. "Thing's can't ever be easy," he said outloud with a small grin. _Might as well get started._ He slammed the book shut and shoved it into his bag, as he felt it was best to keep this a secret for as long as he could. Harry sat against one of the walls getting comfortable, he'd never meditated before, and after a few minutes of sitting still he began to feel stupid even though no one could see him. "Focus Harry." He told himself forcefully, trying his hardest to let everything he was worried about bleed away, however, after about 30 minutes he again started to get restless. The cycle repeated itself for hours before he apparently fell asleep.

"Potter!" he heard a voice say, accompanied by a kick to the leg. He hopped up immediately, wand in hand. "Slow down killer" Daphne said, allowing a small smirk to dance across her face.

"Shit. I fell asleep." Harry rubbed his hand through his messy black hair, mentally kicking himself.

"Obviously, but before we start the meeting are you wanting to duel again?" She gestured to his wand, which was still out. He fumbled trying to get it back into his pocket.

"Sorry, being the saviour of the Wizarding World is tiring." He watched her response, and as soon as he saw her stifle a laugh, he felt relief flood through his body. _So I haven't messed everything up_. However, he face went serious and he knew immediately that it was time to move on.

"I really don't know how else to say this so I'll be blunt. Draco has taken the mark, and he's bullying other students into swearing to take it. Those who threaten to tell get their memories tampered with and he moves on to other students. What's the scariest part is that he learned some pretty advanced stuff over the summer, the memory charm his is using isn't your run of the mill obliviation." She continued on, explaining how she had only learned bits and pieces, but she could feel in her gut that something big was going to happen.

"So, what do you want me to do?" He was so caught up in how big this problem actually was that he'd forgotten all about his own plan.

"I'd say go beat up Malfoy, but who knows what else he learned over the summer." It was at this point, Harry remembered his original plan but kept his mouth shut. This wasn't just a rivarly, it was part of the beginning to a much larger war. "So, I've got a favor to ask you, since you're supposedly one of the best duelists in our year, will you help me learn?" To Harry, it was a complete shock. That was one of the last things he had expected her to say. "I'm no fighter, and it doesn't take a Slytherin to see where this is going to end." She added in response to Harry's obvious shock.

"I... I guess, yeah. Of course." He paused. "Is that why you dueled me earlier?"

"Yeah, and it was super obvious you were holding back." She said with a sheepish grin. They stood in silence while Harry was mulling over possible responses.

"First things first, we need to find somewhere to practice."


	5. Bad Experience and a Reward

A week had passed since Daphne had asked Harry to teach her to duel. Time was passing by, and everyday Draco's group grew. In the beginning, it wasn't uncommon to see people pulling wands on each other in the Slytherin common room. Though no matter how bad it got, Daphne never stepped in. Even her so-called friends began to distance themselves from Daphne, in fear that Draco would target those near her. _I can't blame them_, she thought as even Millicient began ignoring her in public. She spent her nights exploring the castle looking for somewhere to train. She knew it was only a matter of time before Draco tried to bully her, and she refused to join He Who Should Not Be Named.

Harry, on the other hand, had actively stepped in to help any younger Slytherins outside of the common room, though not without protests from Ron and Ginny. _They don't understand,_ Harry would think as he was lying in his bed at night. He didn't care if he Voldemort was preparing every day to kill him, he wasn't going to stand aside and let Draco recruit more people to the Dark Lord's cause. They would only become more people Harry would have to fight in the future. They weren't officially training yet, but Daphne and Harry still met every other night, and Harry always tried extremely hard to make sure he wasn't followed. They spent the nights just talking and exchanging ideas on where to train. Neither had found a place secure enough to train in. If someone found them and word spread, then both Ron and Hermione would fight Harry over it, and Daphne wouldn't even be safe in the Slytherin common room. This partnership relied on secrecy.

Harry was sitting with his friends at lunch, only partly listening to their conversation. Hermione was on a rant about how house-elves were treated, and suddenly it hit Harry. Dobby. _Dobby probably knows of somewhere we could use._ Harry shot up from the table. "Where are you going? We have class in like an hour."

"Bathroom," he stated, hurrying out of the great hall. Daphne watched Harry and Hermione's quick exchange from the Slytherin table. _He's got an idea, _she realized, a small smile appearing on her face. She got up to follow Harry, though she acted a lot more nonchalant than he did. _Harry's a warrior, not a schemer, _she thought, laughing in her head at how obvious he was. Deep in her mind, she knew this would probably end up biting them in the ass, but there was already so much to worry about. As Daphne made her way towards the large, wooden doors, she caught Ron Weasley's eye. He visibly flinched when she sent him her best threatening glare. _I've got to keep up appearances. _Another smile played across her face, she wished she could stay longer, terrorizing Gryffindors was one of her favorite hobbies, but if she didn't hurry Harry would vanish.

Harry made his way through the crowd of students, he needed to get as far away from the student population as possible. _I really should always carry my invisibility cloak_. Most of the students ignored Harry, but a group of female 4th years tried to corner him. Half of the wizarding population in the U.K might hate him, but Harry feared that only painted him as a brooding bad boy. "I have somewhere to be," he rapidly said, pushing through the group. They tried to follow him, but Harry made a sharp cut down a hallway, putting a lot of distance and turns between himself and the large groups of people. Before he got too far away though, Harry heard a familiar voice behind him. He slowed down some, allowing for his stalker to catch up. His face was lit up, he was excited to one-up her again. _She never learns. _He was originally headed towards the kitchens, but beating Daphne was worth a few detours.

Daphne kept her distance from Harry, but she was close enough to see a large group of girls encircling Harry. Fame never left Harry alone. The more she recognized that the more she loved her anonymity on the national scale. She was much more comfortable in the shadows. Daphne almost lost him after he cut through the empty corridor. Daphne moved quickly forward, trying to catch up to Harry before he made too many turns. She was coming up right behind the group when one of the girls in the group turned around and asked "Did you see whe..." The girl froze mid-sentence. Daphne didn't give her a chance to beg.

"Move." The command caused the group to dissolve, all moving in opposite directions. Daphne never stopped moving. Harry was going to let her know if he found something either way, but following him had turned into a game. Through the winding hallways, she followed the flashes of jet black hair she saw. The same process repeated for around 15 minutes, and soon the ocean of students had been reduced to puddles. She was tempted to throw on her disillusionment charm, but if someone saw her, word would get around that she knew how to perform it. As soon as someone knew she could use it, word would spread to Draco, and she couldn't have that.

"Well if it isn't Daphne Greengrass." Daphne knew the voice immediately, and she could've sworn you could fry an entire grease with the amount of grease the person it belonged to secreted.

"Look Malfoy, go bother someone who's actually scared of you." Daphne wasn't even going to stop, but she was hit with a jelly leg jinx before she could take another step.

"I prefer the challenge of trying to scare the previous Slytherin queen bee."

Two 7th years who had accompanied Draco picked Daphne up and dragged her into a dark classroom.

Draco followed them in, locking the door behind him. _This isn't going to be fun_, she thought with a deep sigh.

* * *

Harry stopped when he realized he wasn't being followed anymore. It wasn't like Daphne to give up. "Homenum Revelio." Nothing. Harry turned back towards where he came from, he didn't care about losing right now. Trying hard to retrace his steps exactly. A muffled scream echoed from a hallway that leads to a dead end. _Found_ _her. _Harry pulled his wand out. He had a solid guess as to who might be hurting Daphne. He was trying really hard to calm his wild heartbeat. _I've faced Voldemort himself, Draco is nothing. _His legs felt like he was walking through mollasses. Harry peered through the window on the door, taking count of what he was up against. _Daphne isn't in any shape to health, _he noted. _So, it's me versus Draco and two 7th years, almost a fair fight._ He was internally talking himself up. "Alohomora" he whispered. As soon as it was unlocked, Harry through the door open throwing spells as fast as his mind could work. One of the 7th years crumpled immediately, Draco's wand went flying out of his hands, and the other 7th year tossed a desk over and ducked. "Accio Chair!" Daphne and the chair she was in slid towards Harry. She gave Harry a dirty look. Upon seeing Harry summon Daphne, Draco crawled under a table. There was no point in trying to fight Harry without his wand.

"I had the situation under control Potter," she said, trying to add venom behind her words, but she didn't have the strength left in her. Harry felt his anger returning, and he cast the strongest stupefy he could muster directly towards Draco out of pure instinct. His mind returned to the scene in front of him, and he wasn't sure if he even hit Draco. He pulled Daphne out of the chair, and pushed her out of the door. The remaining 7th year had popped out of his hiding spot, and it felt like he was throwing every offensive spell he knew at Harry. Harry summoned a table to block the barage, but a single spell made it past the table and clipped his arm. Blood immediately began dripping down his arm, and Harry knew it was time to go.

"Reducto." The spell flew from Harry's wand hitting the table in front of the 7th year, splintering it.

"Ah!"The guy shouted in pain, dropping his wand. Seeing his chance, Harry ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Clauditis Fortis!" he hurriedly cast before turning and picking Daphne up. Harry's arm was felt like it was on fire, but Daphne could barely move. Without even thinking, Harry just took off in a direction. They would need all the head start they could possibly get. Harry ran until he could feel his muscles starting to give. He glanced around the hallway, and his eyes fell on the only door. Drawing on all the strength he had left, he pushed on towards the door. The last thing he remembered was being happy to see two beds in the room.

* * *

Harry slept for what felt like hours, but in all honesty he had no idea how long he had slept. When he came to, he realized all the pain in his arm was gone, and Daphne was sleeping peacefully in one of the beds in the room. "Harry Potter is finally awake!" An excited Dobby said, running towards Harry.

"Where's Daphne?" That was the first thing that came to Harry's mind.

"You mean the brown headed girl Dobby found with Harry on the floor? She's fine, just asleep." It felt like a huge weight was taken off Harry, and he finally felt like he could breathe again.

"Dobby, where are we? I've never seen this room before." Harry was busy looking around the room, and he noticed more beds tucked in a corner and a lot of medical supplies scattered around.

"The other house elves call it the come and go room. Since Harry Potter needed medicine, the room provided medicine." Harry remembered Dumbledore telling a story about a bathroom and wondered if this might be that same room. "Does Harry Potter need anything else?"

"No, Dobby. You've done more than enough." Harry assumed it was Dobby who had taken care of their injuries. Dobby looked like he was tearing up, but before he let any tears fall he disappeared into thin air. He realized that he should've asked Dobby how he knew to find them, but he was so happy they'd finally found a practice room that is slipped his mind. Harry slowly pushed himself off of the bed. His right arm felt weak, but he wasn't bleeding anymore.

"What happened to not being a savior?" Daphne croaked out from her bed. When her brain caught up with her mouth, she was scared she had gone to far, but Harry had no anger in his eyes, nor was he storming out.

"I'm just glad your okay." After he realized how serious that sounded, he added, "You're lucky you're so bad at following people." Daphne gave an exhausted laugh. She looked at her watch.

"I'm fairly certain you've missed DADA." Daphne regretted bringing it up, because she could feel Harry getting angry.

"She's making that class pointless anyways." Harry vented, slamming his head on a desk. Daphne sat up in the bed and just nodded. She was letting him vent. She'd only spent a few days actually talking to Harry, but she knew he'd be impossible to talk to unless he got this frustration out of his system."If she actually taught us to cast spells, then maybe I would've been able to wipe the floor with those shitheads." He paused, catching his breath, and letting his anger subside. "Theory isn't going to help me kill Voldemort." Daphne stared at him, trying to think of something to say. Part of her was worried that Harry wasn't up to the task of fighing a war and that Dumbledore was laying too much onto his shoulders. She climbed off the desk to move next to Harry. She lifted his head up with her hands and pulled him into an awkward hug. It felt like the best thing to do, and he did just save her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be ranting, you've been through so much today."

"Don't apologize." She gave him one of the genuine smiles that Harry enjoyed seeing. "We're in this together."

_**I've decided to start putting my author notes at the bottom of the story, I think it's a lot better placement.**_

_**Clauditis Fortis is latin for strong lock or lock strong, I think at least  
**_

_**So I've got a couple of questions.**_

_**1) What do y'all think about the length of my chapters?**_

_**2) I'm tempted to merge chapters 1 and 2 and chapters 3 and 4 into 2 respective chapters. It would drastically increase the average words per chapter. Do you think I should leave it as it is? (I will do the same with chapters 5 and 6 if I decided to merge chapters but for now business as usual)**_

_**I know I said I was going to release revised chapters alongside new chapters, but since I've been so busy IRL and I'm thinking about merging chapters, I decided to wait. Though ****Smutley Do-Wrong did PM and point out one error in chapter 4 that I'm definitely going to fix soon.**_

_**As always: Reviews, favorites, and follows are hugely appreciated. I love hearing from people good or bad (bad as in criticism, not being jerks. Which thankfully, no one has been)**_


	6. An Update on the story's progress

**Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of updates. It's probably going to continue that way. Finding the time to sit down to write the fan fiction is really hard right now. When I have tried, I've been getting stuck and bogged down with writers block. Also college is consuming a lot of my time and not to mention spending time with those around me. The story isn't abandoned. Just on pause until I can find the time to write, might not be until mid May. I hope it will be sooner, but that is very much just hope at this point**


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